Category: 2023

Armenians accused of selling babies still work in hospitals and government

Vatche Chakhmakhchian

Revealed: Members of alleged illegal adoption gang that sold babies to Italy keep high-profile jobs despite charges

Tatev Hovhannisyan

Carlotta Indiano
The alleged ringleader of an illegal network that is accused of selling Armenian children to Italian couples is still working in adoption while on trial, a year-long investigation has discovered.

A joint probe by openDemocracy and Italian investigative website IrpiMedia has found that Anush Garsantsyan is seemingly still involved in arranging adoptions.

And many of her 10 co-defendants – including Armenia’s top obstetrician, a key government official responsible for international adoptions and child welfare workers – also continue to hold senior positions in maternal healthcare and the government.

The news comes four years after a criminal investigation opened into the adoptions of 20 Armenian children between 2015 and 2018, all of whom are said to be alive and living in Italy.

Eleven people have been charged with crimes including the buying and selling of children, abuse of official powers and large-scale money laundering over the adoptions – leading Italy to freeze adoptions from Armenia in June 2021.

But our investigation has uncovered that at least three adoptions took place from Armenia to Italy last year.

These findings have sparked fears from rights campaigners that women in the country remain vulnerable to potential abuses, particularly since international adoptions from Armenia to other countries have not been frozen – and the Prosecutor General’s Office announced in March that the criminal investigation is being widened to examine adoptions that took place in more countries.

Garsantsyan is accused of receiving money from Italian adoption agencies since 2005 and heading a crime ring that preys on vulnerable mothers and Italian families desperate for children. The indictment claims that she and her network sold a total of 61 children, the prosecutor’s office said.

Armenia’s national security service claims the group procured babies by manipulating patients in a maternity hospital into putting their children into orphanages, from where they were sold to overseas couples wanting to adopt.

Investigators say the group caused some Armenian children to be born with health conditions that would make their parents more likely to give them up for adoption, and used false medical records and doctored administrative paperwork to fake such conditions in other cases. They also allege that the group brokered adoptions on behalf of Italian adoption agencies – which is illegal in Armenia.

Garsantsyan is said to have controlled the lucrative profits that arose from this trade, with prosecutors alleging that she earned more than one million euros for her role in the adoptions. Her lawyer has previously said she is innocent of any wrongdoing and that this money was a “reimbursement of costs” for seven years’ work facilitating adoptions.

The indictment names other alleged members of the network as including a former director of a children’s home in Yerevan, Armenia’s capital, the former head of the government body that registers births and authorises personal documents, the director and deputy director of a Yerevan maternity hospital, as well as a doctor, and senior officials in the Ministry of Justice and the Labour and Social Affairs Ministry.

Despite the charges against them, the director of a maternity hospital – considered Armenia’s top obstetrician – and his deputy both remain in their positions, according to the publicly available information confirmed to openDemocracy and irpiMedia by the hospital. The director was previously found guilty of bribing a government official over funding to his hospital. In 2021 a court gave him two years’ probation.

We also identified that the bureaucrat at the Ministry of Justice, who is responsible for international adoptions and abduction of children, remains in his position and as of October 2021 was still representing Armenia at international forums. The ministry responded to requests for comment by saying that everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

And a child welfare worker, who has been charged with official negligence after allegedly breaching the confidentiality of the database of kids waiting for adoption, still holds her position as the chief specialist at the Family, Women and Children’s Affairs department in the Labour and Social Affairs Ministry.

The Italian Commission for International Adoptions (CAI), which licences Italian adoption agencies and oversees their work, told openDemocracy and irpiMedia that it suspended the opening of new adoption cases in Armenia in June 2021 “as a precautionary measure”.

Yet the two countries concluded three adoptions last year, according to official data, which was confirmed to our reporters by the relevant government departments in both Armenia and Italy.

All three adoptions were organised by Italian agencies – two by Famiglia Insieme Onlus and the other by Associazione Arcobaleno Onlus – and began before the indictments were issued, according to the CAI. It said they were completed only after it received guidance from the Armenian government that its work is not part of the criminal investigation. This was confirmed to openDemocracy and irpiMedia by Armenia’s justice ministry.

Garsantsyan is the Armenian ‘representative’ for both Famiglia Insieme and Associazione Arcobaleno, according to the Armenian Ministry of Justice, which acts on behalf of the country’s Central Adoption Authority. Her role is legally ambiguous, as Armenia prohibits international adoptions via a third party.

In 2020, six months after Garsantsyan’s arrest, Associazione Arcobaleno Onlus credited her with helping organise 200 adoptions. Five months later, Famiglia Insieme Onlus also acknowledged her role as its correspondent in the country.

A third Italian adoption agency, Anpas Informa, also described her as its “contact person” in Armenia in 2011, saying her “job is to accompany the Italian families in the adoption process”. Anpas has not completed any adoptions with Armenia since Garsantsyan’s arrest.

In April, Associazione Arcobaleno Onlus told openDemocracy and irpiMedia that Garsantsyan is still on its payroll but is not actively working.

“Anush Garsantsyan still works for us, but she took some personal time off,” said Bruna Rizzato, Associazione Arcobaleno’s president.

Arcobaleno did not reply to further questions posed by openDemocracy and irpiMedia. Famiglia Insieme also did not respond. But the CAI, which licences all Italian adoption agencies, told us that while Famiglia Insieme Onlus has previously used Garsantsyan’s services, it currently has a separate contact person in Armenia. The CAI added: “Garsantyan is the contact person and not the ‘legal representative’ of Arcobaleno and Anpas.”

These claims were called into question following a letter sent to openDemocracy and irpiMedia by the Armenian Ministry of Justice on 25 May, which suggested Garsantsyan is a ‘representative’ for the Italian agencies and that she is still involved in facilitating adoptions.

It said: “As of today, the Armenian Central Authority continues to cooperate with Anush Garsantsyan, the Armenian representative of the Italian accredited organisations, in the scope of activities within the limits of her competence.”

We shared the letter with the CAI, which told us it subsequently requested an update on Garsantsyan’s situation from the Armenian Ministry of Justice.

The CAI also stressed that it “has given instructions to the agencies operating in Armenia to temporarily suspend their activities related the adoption pending procesures until further investigation is carried out on the nature of the charges brought against the contact person”.

In Italy, couples wishing to adopt a foreign child must apply to organisations appointed by the CAI. There is no suggestion that the Italian families who adopted the children, the CAI or any of the Italian agencies facilitating the adoptions were aware of the alleged crime ring.

Adoption in Armenia is regulated by a 2010 decree that prioritises placing children with relatives or other Armenian nationals, with foreign adoption treated as a last resort. Cultural bias means it is usually children with disabilities that are adopted internationally.

Children with disabilities are among the most marginalised groups in Armenia, according to a 2014 report by Unicef. The report found that some parents are forced to leave them in orphanages due to “a lack of family support and community-based support networks, as well as the attitudes of society”.

The report added: “A few thousand children with disabilities are still isolated from their families, peers, and communities. They live in institutions, they do not attend preschool or school, do not have access to rehabilitation services, and do not participate in social events.”

Doctors acting within the illegal network allegedly preyed on these biases, convincing women seeking abortions to go through with their pregnancies and then using birth-stimulating drugs to induce early labour. The babies were often born with complicated health problems as a result, and investigators say doctors would then coerce the mothers into giving them up for adoption.

In other cases, medical workers allegedly lied to mothers, falsely telling them their children faced illnesses and life-threatening disabilities to get them to give up the child as well as to discourage adoption by local families.

International adoptions of Armenian children have outnumbered domestic adoptions in recent years. In 2015, 55 children were adopted abroad and 41 in Armenia, in 2016 there were 40 overseas adoptions and 35 domestic, and the same is true of 2017 (29 and 27) and 2018 (25 and 23).

The criminal investigation is focused on the alleged sale of 20 children – but hundreds more Armenian women believe they were victims of the illegal adoption network. They have not had their cases taken up by state prosecutors, often because they signed consent forms to give up parental rights, which the women say they were tricked into doing.

One support group, Armenian Mothers, was founded in 2019 to provide help to mothers who believe they have faced injustices in the medical system, from illegal adoptions to bribery demands from doctors.

The group, which today has more than 17,000 followers on social media, was at the forefront of rallies outside the Armenian prosecutor general’s office that demanded the arrest of all 11 people said to be involved in the illegal adoption case.

openDemocracy could not reach the maternity hospital for comment, but in 2019 the director told Aravot, an Armenian newspaper, that the allegations surrounding its practices and adoption were not true.

He said: “Adoptions have nothing to do with maternity care institutions, they are carried out by the ministries of labor and social affairs and justice through the orphanage. If you have any questions, you should contact them, and if you have any other questions, contact the press service.”

The 11 suspects remain free and the trial has started. The Supreme Judicial Council of Armenia refused to provide openDemocracy and irpiMedia with the timeline of the court hearings, but publicly available information suggests the most recent hearing took place behind closed doors on 31 March.

While the prosecutions are ongoing, the 20 Armenian families whose babies are said to have been adopted through the alleged criminal network are stuck in emotional limbo – not knowing where their children are or if they will see them again.

And the completion of three adoptions to Italy last year shows that Armenian authorities are yet to address a legal grey area highlighted by the investigation. The Italian organisations working on adoptions from Armenia are accredited in Italy and specialise in intercountry adoptions. But Armenian law prohibits the use of intermediaries or brokers in international adoptions.

The Family Code of Armenia stipulates that people wishing to adopt can only do so individually or through their ‘lawful representatives’, which can could be a parent, adopter or guardian but not agencies and organisations.

The number of adoptions last year, although small, worries human rights and child advocates in Armenia. They say that regardless of the trial’s outcome, the law surrounding adoptions needs tightening to protect women.

“The absence of any legal amendments means the mechanisms that allowed illegal adoptions to occur continue to operate,” warned Mushegh Hovsepyan, the president of Disability Rights Agenda NGO and a former official in the Armenian Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. “This leaves the door open for further similar abuses.”

The lack of action is particularly worrying since the Prosecutor General’s Office announced in March that it believes at least 437 other Armenian children have been sold for at least €25,000 each to both foreigners and ethnic Armenians living in foreign countries including Italy, the United States, France, Russia and Switzerland.

The state legislation regulating adoption has also not undergone any fundamental changes since 2016 – despite Armenia’s Ombudsman’s Office calling for the establishment of a centralised adoption service and “clear criterias for the selection of adoptive parents, based not only on their [wealth]”.

These recommendations reflect concerns raised in 2016 by the then special rapporteur of the United Nations, Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, who is now the president of international not-for-profit Child Identity Protection.

Responding to our findings, de Boer-Buquicchio urged Armenia and Italy to follow their international commitments and “encompass robust mechanisms” to respond to allegations of any illicit adoption practices.

These include, she said, “full access to justice” and ensuring “that the best interests of children are the primary consideration in any future decisions”. She added: “In practice, this can result in the children’s return to the state of origin and that their identity be speedily re-established.”

Children’s advocates also say the state has not heeded previous warnings and has instead turned a blind eye to problems in a broken system. Hovsepyan described the regulation of adoptions of Armenian children as “generally inadequate”.

Anahit Khachatryan, the head of the Children’s Rights Protection Department in the Armenian Ombudsman's Office, added: “The state must guarantee that children adopted abroad enjoy protection and standards that are equivalent to those in the case of domestic adoption.”

With additional reporting by Tiziano Ferri and Tatevik Tshughuryan

United States says commitment to democracy makes Armenia a bright spot in the region, expresses support

Parkev Tvankchian

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 13:16,

YEREVAN, MAY 31, ARMENPRESS. The United States stands with Armenia on its journey towards a more open, accountable, prosperous and secure future, United States Ambassador Kristina Kvien said at the 2nd Armenian Forum for Democracy.

“I’d like to extend my sincere congratulations to Freedom House and to the Union of Informed Citizens for organizing this second annual forum for democracy,” Kvien said at the forum attended by President Vahagn Khachaturyan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and other government officials.

“I also want to commend the people of Armenia, for their unwavering commitment to democratic reform despite grave security challenges. This commitment to democracy makes Armenia a bright spot in the region as we saw in the Nations in Transit report the Freedom House published just last week. The United States stands with you on your journey towards a more open, accountable, prosperous and secure future. In America, our concerns for human rights come not from a desire to judge others, but from humility about our own history and our own challenges. As Secretary Blinken has said, our willingness to confront these challenges, to acknowledge our shortcomings, not to ignore them or pretend they don’t exist is what distinguishes democracies from other forms of government. I’m incredibly proud of the work that we are doing together in Armenia to strengthen democracy and safeguard human rights. We are taking steps to eliminate discrimination and foster a society that embraces diversity and the rights of every individual in society regardless of their background, beliefs or social status. The United States is supporting your efforts to combat corruption and strengthen the rule of law which underpins economic growth and public trust in the democratic process. We are working together to promote media freedom, protect journalists’ safety and ensure the unrestricted flow of information and freedom of speech. We are also building a more resilient, democratic foundation by promoting civic education and encouraging the active involvement of Armenia’s very strong civil society. Of course it’s in every democracy, including ours, that work remains to be done. I hope this forum can drive forward conversation about what the next steps are in growing Armenia’s democratic foundation. As we move forward, we are grateful for our partnerships with Freedom House, the Union of Informed Citizens and the Armenian Government, all of you who came today. I hope this second annual Forum for Democracy can serve as a platform for discussion, sharing best practices and forging alliances. Together we can overcome challenges, empower individuals and build a future where freedom, justice and democracy prevail. I wish you all a productive discussion, thank you very much,” the ambassador added.

Not partners, but on same page: Russia, West push Armenian-Azeri peace

Bedik Zaminian
By Fred Weir Special correspondent

A peace deal to end the bitter, three-decade-long conflict over the fate of the Armenian-populated enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh inside Azerbaijan appears almost within reach.

Perhaps most remarkably, Armenia and Azerbaijan have been brought to the brink of accord by Western and Russian diplomacy – working in parallel, if not in sync.

The agreement comes as an exhausted and disillusioned Armenia, decisively defeated in a 2020 war, concedes to most of Azerbaijan’s demands in hopes of being able to chart a new course without the albatross of endless war hanging around its neck. The deal may be reached as early as June 1, as Armenian and Azeri leaders attend the European Political Community (EPC), an intergovernmental forum on Europe’s future, in Chisinau, Moldova.

A story focused on

PEACE

Even while starkly divided over the war in Ukraine, Russia and the West show hints of being able to find common ground on other issues of importance, as evidenced by an imminent Armenian-Azeri peace treaty.

But while the agreement may leave Armenians dissatisfied, it does hint at still-existent areas of common ground between Russia and the West, even if the two are at odds over Ukraine. Over the past several months, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev have shuttled between Washington, European capitals, and Moscow, in each receiving a similar message about the necessary shape of a durable settlement. A week ago, President Vladimir Putin told the two Caucasus leaders that, despite a few technical details, a deal that Russia supports is nearly ready.

“You couldn’t say that Russia and the West were working together on this. Rather say that they were on the same page,” says Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of Russia in Global Affairs, a Moscow-based foreign policy journal. “Their interests coincided in this case, even if that sounds a bit unusual in the present context.”

The conflict has been raging since the Soviet twilight years, when Armenia and Azerbaijan engaged in mutual rounds of brutal ethnic cleansing. That was followed by a bloody war that subsided in the early 1990s with a victorious Armenia in control of Nagorno-Karabakh as well as a huge part of Azerbaijan proper.

Tens of thousands of Azeris were displaced by Armenian occupation, and a vengeful President Aliyev, interviewed by the Monitor many years ago, vowed to use Azerbaijan’s oil wealth to build a military machine capable of recovering those lost lands. In 2020, he succeeded in ejecting Armenia from most occupied territory. But Russia, the traditional power broker in the region, stepped in to impose an armistice that injected Russian peacekeeping forces to protect the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh.

But Russia’s influence was already waning in the region, while Turkey’s sponsorship of victorious Azerbaijan was a new balance-tipping factor. Following the invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s grip weakened further. Western powers saw an opening to pry Armenia, with its pro-Western leader, Mr. Pashinyan, out of Moscow’s orbit.

Over the past year, Mr. Aliyev has become much more assertive in seeking an end to the conflict that leaves Nagorno-Karabakh, with its 120,000 Armenian inhabitants, inside Azerbaijan. He has recently dropped earlier offers of autonomy and insisted that since Nagorno-Karabakh is part of sovereign Azerbaijan under international law, the territory must be ruled from Baku, the Azeri capital, and its people must accept the terms of Azeri citizenship or leave.

Until recently, that has been impossible for Armenia to stomach. But after several rounds of shuttle diplomacy to the United States, Europe, and Russia, Mr. Pashinyan finally offered the icebreaking concession on May 22. For three decades, Russian and Western diplomacy have agreed that Nagorno-Karabakh is legally part of Azerbaijan, and for the first time, an Armenian leader has, however reluctantly, acknowledged that.

“Armenia recognizes Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity of 86,600 square kilometers, assuming that Azerbaijan recognizes Armenia’s territorial integrity as 29,800 square kilometers,” Mr. Pashinyan said. “Those 86,600 square kilometers also include Nagorno-Karabakh.”

The remaining sticking point is how to deal with the now-stranded population of the tiny, mountainous, self-declared independent statelet, which Armenians call Artsakh.

“Once the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is established, then the population of Nagorno-Karabakh becomes an internal concern,” says Ilgar Velizade, an independent political expert in Baku. “This is a serious hitch, but I am sure it will be solved. This is the foundation upon which good neighborly relations can be built.”

Atom Mkhitaryan, co-chair of the Armenian Association of Political Scientists, says Mr. Pashinyan’s concession was made on condition that the “rights and security of Armenians who have lived on their native land [Karabakh] for thousands of years are respected. But not a word is heard about what those rights are or how their security will be ensured. … It remains unclear how Russia or the West will use their levers and means to guarantee and monitor the implementation of the agreements.”

It has been a basic assumption for three decades that no Armenian government could abandon the Armenians of Karabakh and survive politically, says Mr. Lukyanov. But Mr. Pashinyan appears ready to do just that.

“It looks as though the suggestion that Pashinyan wants to rid himself of the burden of Karabakh might have been right,” Mr. Lukyanov says. “But the mystery is, why is Armenian society so passive about it? Agreement is possible now, after Azerbaijan reshaped the balance, because Armenia now finds this outcome acceptable. If Armenians are fine with it, why shouldn’t everyone else be?”

The future of the Karabakh Armenians will probably be settled by evacuation to Armenia, most experts warn. Neither the West nor Russia seems prepared to press Baku on establishing autonomy for that beleaguered population, whose always-doubtful viability as an independent state has totally collapsed since Armenia’s defeat three years ago.

The agreement that may soon be reached would open the region to economic development, including long-blockaded transport corridors, pipelines, and tourism. Russia and the West, though de facto partners in securing accord, will quickly revert to overt rivalry, says Alexei Makarkin, deputy director of the Center for Political Technologies, an independent political think tank in Moscow.

“Russia and the West weren’t cooperating, just competing over who could get the two sides to sit down and sign an agreement,” he says. “Russia will want to maintain its traditional role in the region, with its peacekeeping mission continuing. The West will want to reduce Russia’s role and make its peacekeeping force leave after an agreement is signed. Interests may have briefly coincided, but competition will be lasting.”

PM Pashinyan meets with Hungary’s Deputy Prime Minister

Vardan Badalian

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 13:42,

YEREVAN, MAY 31, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with Hungary’s Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén in Yerevan.

PM Pashinyan welcomed Semjén’s visit to Armenia and was pleased to note the restoration of diplomatic relations after a long suspension.

According to a readout issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, PM Nikol Pashinyan expressed hope that Armenia and Hungary will be able to swiftly catch up what has been missed.

Hungary’s Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén thanked for the warm reception and conveyed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s greetings. Semjén also attached importance to the restoration of bilateral diplomatic relations and emphasized the Hungarian government’s eagerness to develop and enhance partnership with Armenia. In this regard, he emphasized the role of the Armenian community of Hungary. 

PM Pashinyan thanked the Hungarian government for the preservation and caring attitude for the Armenian cultural heritage in Hungary.

PM Pashinyan and the Hungarian Deputy PM underscored the need to promote cooperation in the economic, tourism, culture and education sectors. Steps in direction of restoring direct flights between Yerevan and Budapest were highlighted. Deputy PM Zsolt Semjén said that the government of Hungary has initiated a scholarship program for Armenian students.

Various issues of regional and international importance were also discussed.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan presented the situation in Nagorno Karabakh resulting from the illegal blockade of Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan and stressed that the Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh are now going through a humanitarian crisis. PM Pashinyan said that Azerbaijan has cut off gas and power supply from Armenia to Nagorno Karabakh, while food is supplied only through the peacekeepers. Pashinyan said that Azerbaijan’s actions are aimed at committing ethnic cleansing and genocide in Nagorno Karabakh. The Armenian Prime Minister attached importance to an adequate reaction by the international community.

Hungary’s Ambassador to Armenia Anna Mária Sikó (stationed in Georgia) presented her credentials to Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan on May 15.




Armenian Foreign Ministry responds to U.S. State Department statement

Hambik Zargarian

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 13:48,

YEREVAN, MAY 31, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia has responded to the statement made by the United States State Department spokesperson regarding the negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“The Armenian side has always welcomed the efforts made by the US in the process of establishing peace, stability and security in the South Caucasus,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ani Badalian said in a statement on May 31. “We think it should be obvious to all our partners that in the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, both the recognition of each other's territorial integrity and inviolability of borders based on the Alma-Ata Declaration and addressing the rights and security of the people of Nagorno Karabakh are key. As we emphasized in the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia on May 29, the recognition of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan cannot be interpreted as authority to carry out ethnic cleansing and arbitrariness against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. It is impossible not to notice that the statements made by the President of Azerbaijan on May 28 not only did not offer dignified solutions to the above-mentioned problems, but also contained clear threats to the sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Armenia and the right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to live in security and with dignity in their homeland, which the Armenian side has repeatedly raised the alarm. Our partners have been alerted about this many times. We believe that the United States, based on its own values of democracy and human rights protection and its commitment and involvement in the establishment of lasting peace in the region, should adequately respond to these statements in order to prevent the expansionist policy of the Azerbaijani leadership towards the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia and attempts of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno Karabakh,” Badalian added.

‘Democracy implies peace’, President Khachaturyan’s speech at Armenian Forum for Democracy

Hambik Zargarian

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 14:39,

YEREVAN, MAY 31, ARMENPRESS. President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan attended the opening of the 2nd annual Armenian Forum for Democracy on May 31. 

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, other government officials and foreign ambassadors were also in attendance.

Below is the transcript of President Khachaturyan’s speech at the forum.

“I am delighted to welcome the participants and guests of the Armenian Forum for Democracy. This comprehensive event, which is already becoming a tradition, is another proof and testimony that Armenia has irrevocably and firmly set foot on the path of establishing democracy and democratic institutions, and it is irreversible.

“Since the day of its establishment, our Republic has declared its commitment to democratic and universal values and principles. Throughout more than three decades of independence, the victory of democracy was being created amid numerous and various obstacles in our country: vicious phenomena in the state administration apparatus, semi-war situation, and grave security challenges.

“But to the credit of the citizens of the Republic of Armenia, we can confidently state that democracy is already an established fact in our country.

“Of course, the war of 2020, the subsequent external and domestic political turmoil and challenges were a serious ordeal for democratic values and ideas in Armenia. But most importantly, in this situation the Armenian authorities, not pulling back from the essence and principles of democracy, pursued the most democratic and acceptable way of resolving the issues. I mean the extraordinary parliamentary elections held in 2021 which became the most effective and transparent way of expressing the will of our citizens.

“Dear attendees,

“The title of the Democracy Forum is already binding for the statesmen, representatives of executive and legislative powers, and our citizens who follow the course of the forum as democracy is not only a set of freedoms but also responsibility. A free citizen, a free state and public figure, a representative of civil society, bears much greater responsibility in a free and democratic state than in any other system.

“This is an undeniable truth, since in the end the citizen said yes to the existence of the independent Republic of Armenia in the Independence referendum, the issue of the leadership of the country is again determined by the citizen with their vote in the parliamentary or other elections. That vote is responsibility which I believe is one of the most important pillars of democracy, and in the 2021 parliamentary elections, our citizens, with their free _expression_ of will, fully undertook that responsibility with their vote.

“Dear participants and guests of the Forum for Democracy,

“I also wish to address a reality that gives rise to various interpretations. It is no secret that in the face of external challenges of our country, the Karabakh conflict, democracy has been subordinated to security issues for years.

“The establishment of democratic institutions was neglected at the highest level and an attempt was made to present it as a threat. I wish to emphasize that such an opposition is not only baseless, but on the contrary, democracy is one of the primary tokens of the strength and power of the state. After all, Armenia's independence referendum, Armenia's first presidential and parliamentary elections were held amid a war imposed on us, so our statehood is in a sense also the birth of democracy.

“The same holds true for today also where the wounds of the 2020 war are still fresh, the country is still coming to its senses after severe losses, it seems that democratic institutions have been pushed into the background, but as I already mentioned, the Armenian government found the solution through democracy itself. I believe that democracy is the weapon with which we can and should present ourselves to the world.

“To sum up my speech, I would also like to emphasize an important fact. Democracy implies peace as without it, it is impossible or very difficult to have well-established democratic institutions. And in this regard, Armenia is steadily moving towards democracy and peace.”

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó to visit Armenia soon

Babken Chilingarian

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 13:57,

YEREVAN, MAY 31, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary Péter Szijjártó is expected to visit Armenia soon, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during a meeting with Hungary’s Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén in Yerevan on May 31.

Pashinyan added that the planned visit attests to the mutual desire for bringing the bilateral partnership to a new level.

Asbarez: Moscow Confirms Upcoming Meets on Opening Transport Routes

Emil Lazarian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

The Armenia-Azerbaijan border


Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexey Overchuk on Wednesday confirmed that he will meet with his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts to discuss the opening of transport routes between the two countries.

He told reporters that on Wednesday that three deputy prime ministers, who are tasked with mapping out the transport route opening process, will meet in the near future.

“Today, we came very close to talking about restoring the railway transport between the western regions of Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan. At the same time, Armenia also will get the opportunity to unblock and move through Nakhichevan, through Azerbaijan to Russia, to other EAEU countries,” Overchuk told reporters, according to the Tass news agency.

“Indeed, the decisions that we are preparing within the framework of the tripartite working group are undoubtedly of great importance for the stabilization of the situation in the South Caucasus region and unblocking of Armenia,” Overchuk added.

He said that the issues that will be considered at the upcoming meeting “really concern technical details related to the modalities of crossing the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia․”

“We are talking about passport and customs control, and all other types of control that exist at international borders,” he added.

Asbarez: U.S. Welcomes Aliyev’s ‘Amnesty’ Offer to Artsakh Leaders

Samvel Nahapetian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Main, Latest, News, Top Stories

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller


The United States on Tuesday welcomed an “amnesty” offer by President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan to Artsakh leaders during a scathing and threat-filled address he delivered in Lachin on May 28.

In addition to threatening Armenia, Aliyev also vowed more military aggression against Artsakh if its residents did not accept unconditional Azerbaijani rule.

“Everyone knows that we can carry out any [military] operation in that territory [Karabakh,]” Aliyev warned. “That is why the [Karabakh] parliament must be dissolved, the element who calls himself the president [of Karabakh] must surrender and all ministers, deputies and other officials must resign. Only then can there be talk of amnesty.”

The American support for Aliyev’s belligerent remarks was voiced during a State Department briefing on Tuesday, during which the newly-named spokesperson Matthew Miller, was hailing the progress made between Armenia and Azerbaijan ahead of scheduled talks in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova on Thursday.

“We are pleased to see that talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan have continued,” Miller said at a press briefing. “As Secretary Blinken said, peace is achievable in the South Caucasus.  We recently expressed appreciation for Prime Minister Pashinyan’s commitment to peace, and we welcome President Aliyev’s recent remarks on consideration of amnesty.”

“Armenia and Azerbaijan’s leaders will meet later this week in Chisinau with our European partners, and we hope that will be a productive step to resolving these issues at the negotiating table and not through violence,” Miller added.

“Aggressive rhetoric can only perpetuate the violence of the past; constructive dialogue—both public and private—can create peace, opportunity, and hope.  The United States stands ready to support the efforts of both parties to conclude a durable and dignified peace agreement,” Miller said.

Yerevan pushed back on Aliyev’s May 28 remarks, with the Armenia’s Foreign Ministry saying that the Azerbaijani leader not only threatened the Artsakh population with ethnic cleansing, but also threatened to launch new military attacks on Artsakh.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wondered whether Aliyev had decided to abandon the agreement they reached in Brussels on May 14 to recognize each other’s territorial integrity and work toward ensuring security for the Artsakh population.

The State Department’s assessment of Aliyev’s remarks angered both Armenia and Artsakh, whose foreign ministries in separate statements on Wednesday questioned whether the U.S. was supporting more military threats.

Yerevan urged Washington to react “more appropriately to such statements,” according to Armenia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Ani Badalian, who also pointed out that Aliyev’s remarks “contained clear threats” to Armenia’s territorial integrity.

“We believe that the encouragement of Baku’s destructive and belligerent policy runs counter to the desire to achieve positive developments in the peaceful settlement of the conflict,” said a statement issued by Artsakh’s foreign ministry.

Is Azerbaijan’s new attack against the Artsakh defense army imminent?

John Hovhannisian
 Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan Opinion 1

May 2023 will be remembered as the month of intensive negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It started from the four-day summit in Washington, where the two ministers of foreign affairs with their teams were engaged in face-to-face interactions to discuss the text of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement. Ten days later, Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders met in Brussels, revitalizing the Brussels format, which had been stalled in September 2022. As a result of the Brussels summit, the sides reiterated the mutual recognition of territorial integrity based on the Alma-Ata declaration. For the first time, they agreed to use exact numbers when describing each other’s territories. This step dispersed fears in Azerbaijan that despite signing the Prague statement in October 2022 and recognizing Azerbaijani territorial integrity based on the Alma-Ata declaration, Armenia may still avoid recognizing Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) as part of Azerbaijan, arguing that Artsakh was not part of Azerbaijan on December 21, 1991, when the Alma-Ata declaration was signed. A few days later, the Armenian Prime Minister confirmed that Armenia recognizes Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan during his speech at the summit of the Council of Europe. On May 22, he reiterated this position during a press conference in Yerevan. On May 19, Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers met in Moscow to continue discussing a peace agreement, while President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan met in the Russian capital on May 25. The meeting did not bring any tangible result, except the agreement to hold another trilateral meeting in Moscow at the level of deputy prime ministers to continue discussions on the opening up of communications. 

It seemed that intensive negotiations, especially Armenian recognition of Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan, would bring the sides closer to the signature of the peace agreement and lasting peace and stability in the region. However, while the international community expresses its satisfaction with the resumption of negotiations and praises the Armenian Prime Minister for his recognition of Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani authorities are openly preparing another large-scale military strike against Artsakh. Since the end of the 2020 Artsakh war, Azerbaijan has launched several attacks against Artsakh, including military actions in March and August 2022. In December 2022, Azerbaijan closed the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor by organizing protests of self-described eco-activists and established two checkpoints along the corridor in April 2023. 

Since the end of the 2020 Artsakh war, Azerbaijan has demanded the disarmament of the Artsakh defense army. However, until very recently, these statements were perceived as a part of the standard routine to put pressure on Armenia and to keep the image of President Aliyev as a war hero among the Azerbaijani population. However, the situation has recently changed. Since Armenia has recognized Artsakh as a part of Azerbaijan and both Armenia and the international community accepted the establishment of Azerbaijani checkpoints on the Berdzor Corridor, Azerbaijan has perceived these steps as a de facto green light for a military operation against the Artsakh defense army. On May 28, 2023, President Aliyev issued an ultimatum to Artsakh Armenians. He demanded to disband all state institutions in Artsakh, forget about any status and accept Azerbaijani citizenship. President Aliyev promised to discuss the possibility of amnesty for self-described Artsakh Republic leadership if they realized his demand. He also clearly stated that the Azerbaijani army was ready to launch military operations against Artsakh. The May 28 ultimatum by President Aliyev does not have any clear timetable, but it means that any day from now can be the last day of the ultimatum. Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense resumed its usual tactics of accusations against Armenians, issuing statements about shootings toward positions of the Azerbaijani army. 

“There is only one way left – to obey the laws of Azerbaijan, to be a loyal normal citizen of Azerbaijan, to throw your own false state attributes into the trash can, to leave the ‘parliament.'” — Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at a meeting with incoming residents in occupied Berdzor, May 28, 2023

The situation around Artsakh has reached its culmination. Azerbaijan believes that recognition of Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan by Armenia gives Baku the right to launch military strikes against the Artsakh defense army, calling these strikes either an “anti-terrorist operation” or a “fight against illegal military units deployed in Azerbaijan.” Meanwhile, Azerbaijan will probably avoid strikes against civilians and Russian peacekeepers, focusing its actions on defense army units. Azerbaijan believes that in case of a new large-scale military operation in Artsakh, the Armenian government will do nothing except a new barrage of accusations against Russia and calls to the international community to intervene. On , the US State Department issued a statement on peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It welcomed President Aliyev’s May 28 remarks on the consideration of amnesty for Artsakh Armenians. Regardless of the real intentions of the US State Department, this statement will be perceived in Azerbaijan as a green light to military actions against the Artsakh defense army if Artsakh Armenians reject President Aliyev’s ultimatum. Thus, the stage is set for the new large-scale escalation in Artsakh. The only way to prevent it or reduce its probability will be a clear statement by the Armenian government that any attack against Artsakh will ruin the current peace process. As the primary beneficiary of the resumed negotiations is the West, probably, the clear statement from Armenia that a new attack against Artsakh will ruin the process may force the US and the EU to work with Azerbaijan to stop the upcoming bloodshed and save the negotiations.      

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Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan is the founder and chairman of the Center for Political and Economic Strategic Studies and a senior research fellow at APRI – Armenia. He was the former vice president for research – head of the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense Research University in Armenia. In March 2009, he joined the Institute for National Strategic Studies as a research Fellow and was appointed as INSS Deputy Director for research in November 2010. Dr. Poghosyan has prepared and managed the elaboration of more than 100 policy papers which were presented to the political-military leadership of Armenia, including the president, the prime minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Dr. Poghosyan has participated in more than 50 international conferences and workshops on regional and international security dynamics. His research focuses on the geopolitics of the South Caucasus and the Middle East, US – Russian relations and their implications for the region, as well as the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. He is the author of more than 200 academic papers and articles in different leading Armenian and international journals. In 2013, Dr. Poghosyan was a Distinguished Research Fellow at the US National Defense University College of International Security Affairs. He is a graduate from the US State Department Study of the US Institutes for Scholars 2012 Program on US National Security Policy Making. He holds a PhD in history and is a graduate from the 2006 Tavitian Program on International Relations at Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.